Airedalandia
Airedalandia is a large sovereign state in West Centralius, bordered by Ellisland, Gentelibre, Girania and Hapshire. Though they do not share any land boarders, the island nations of the Welver Isles Federation and Yeltove are in close proximity of Airedalandia's coast. It is a Constitutional Monarchy, in which the King officially holds ultimate executive authority. However, the country is governed by a Representative Democracy, its two most notable and powerful organs being the Executive Council (of which the Prime Minister is chair) and the unicameral Parliament. Airedalandia is a federation of two formerly sovereign states, Airedale and Santobrillo. The governments of their capitals of Airedale and Guarnizo, respectively, hold considerable powers concerning internal self-governance, and many laws are notably different between the two regions. Each also has its own language (Airedalian and Santobrillan) which are co-official at the national level. After uniting in the aftermath of the mutually devastating Second Airedalian-Santobrillan War (1756-69), which ended with Airedale's famous defensive victory at the Battle of Lago Gómez, the united nation became a world power in its own right, establishing a sizeable colonial empire, which, after recovering from the civil war of 1807-1809, would go unmatched for much of the 19th century. Through the later half of the 19th century and continuing into the 20th, the colonies were granted increasing degrees of self-governance. Modern-day Airedalandia, through its strong ties to its former colonies, five of which share the same monarch and engage in free trade and collective defence under the auspices of the Airedalandian Commonwealth, and with its expanded economic might after emerging victorious in the Great War (1942-49), has become a Superpower. Etymology Airedale, a predecessor state to Airedalandia, had a capital city called Aire. In the early days of the Kingdom of Airedale in the 12th to 13th centuries (before it was known as Airedale), the dale (valley) surrounding Aire became the heart of the kingdom, and over time Aire and its surrounding smaller settlements became collectively known as “Airedale.” In an effort to bolster support for the union of Airedale and Santobrillo, the Aire Herald distributed numerous publications containing the slogan “for a better land of the Airedales.” Soon, this became shortened to “Airedaleland.”When the name was said in Santobrillan, it didn't flow well, and soon an extra syllable was added to the end. So was born the name of Airedalandia. History Prior to 1756 Second Airedalian-Santobrillan War In 1756, the long-held tensions between Airedale and Santobrillo boiled over following the assassination of Prince Lewis of Airedale in what was then the buffer state of Northern Gatewood. Northern Gatewood, created following the First Airedalian-Santobrillan War (1706-1718), was created to provide a boundary between the two states and prevent another war. However, the boarders of Northern Gatewood, having been drawn on roughly ethno-religious lines, gave rise to a nationalist movement, the Brotherhood of Sasmin Patriots (BSP). Their goal was the removal of foreign troops from their traditional homeland and ending the suppression of their religion, Sasminism. On July 19th, 1756, while riding in his carriage on his way to an official reception at the Airedalian Embassy by diplomatic staff and the President of Northern Gatewood, Prince Lewis, Heir to the Airedalian throne and the sole surviving son on King Charles IV, was shot by a musket-baring Sasmin Brother. He died within hours, and upon learning multiple Northern Gatewoodish soldiers guarding the prince's carriage had either sympathised with the BSP or been successfully bribed, the Kingdom of Airedale declared war on Northern Gatewood. The Republic of Santobrillo was forced to launch its own invasion of Northern Gatewood or face a major strategic disadvantage. As Santobrillan troops poured into Northern Gatewood from the south as the Airedalians invaded from the north, clashes between the two invading forces began to occur, some notably by accident. One such incident, the First "Battle" of Crystalview Hill, started when a Santobrillan soldier trying to light a fire for cooking ignited spilled gunpowder, which in turn lit off nearby stored ammunition, in what the rest of the camp thought was an attack by the Airedalians who were known to be in the area. After occasional skirmishes escalated into full-fledged war, Santobrillo launched an invasion of Airedale based on pre-war contingency planning. In the span of eight months they would go from the Santobrillan war all the way to the walls of Airedale, yet were beaten back by a determined garrison, which started a series of successive Airedalian victories that put the Santobrillans on the defensive inside their own boarders. Two years after the initial offensives, the war settled into a stalemate in Centralius, while the two empires put greater focus overseas. During the later parts of the war both nations tried to deny the other access to the resources of their colonies, in an effort to break the stalemate. One such tactic used by the Santobrillans was to incite unrest in the Airedalian colonies, which in two cases led to successful revolutions, in Gillworthia and Valhunnia. The desire to end the war in Valhunnia was also important factor that swayed Airedale to be open to a negotiated peace. 1769 to 1804 (First Empire) After taking huge casualties at the Battle of Lago Gómez, which was supposed to be the start of a counter-offensive that would turn the war back in Santobrillo's favour, and with waning support for the war among its citizens, who were enduring brutal shortages of various goods brought on by a successful Airedalian naval blockade that effectively cut of Santobrillo from its colonies, peace seemed an appealing option. After a third unsuccessful attempt to seize a crossing point through the shallows of Lago Gómez and loosing 57,000 of his 120,000 men one week, Hernán Luis Aguilar, Generalissimo of the Santobrillan Armed Forces and President of the Republic of Santobrillo, arranged to meet the Airedalian field commander, Admiral Donovan Blanchard, to negotiate a temporary ceasefire to facilitate further peace negotiations atop Greenpine Ridge. There it was agreed the two sides would engage in an indefinite ceasefire, and a peace conference was to be held there along the former frontline. In the lead-up to the conference that officially started on September 9th, 1769, debate in each country's respective legislatures emphasized a common theme and fear; a third destructive war between the countries, and one that could not be avoided through a peace agreement similar to that which ended the previous war, and ultimately caused the last one. As well both countries saw eachother as equals. Both were democracies (Airedale a Constitutional Monarchy governed by a Parliamentary Democracy, and Santobrillo a Presidential Republic) since 1689 and 1732, respectively. Imperial Ebeline was a common enemy and constant menace of both Empires. Through new found political stability and riches from freshly-acquired colonies, Ebleline was set to surpass both Airedale and Santobrillo. However, it was thought and emphasized by pro-unioners that combined Airedalandia and Santobrillo would stand unopposed in Centralius. During the first year of the three year conference, it was decided that Airedale and Santobrillo would unite, and during the latter two, the terms of union were hammered out. The most important provisions of the Treaty of Union were the creation of the then-bicameral National Parliament, the preservation of Airedale and Santobrillo as semi-independent entities titled "States" under the Federation,the status of Airedalian and Santobrillan as co-official languages, and finally, the agreement on a head of state. What could be agreed upon was that the positions head of government and head of state of the new nation could not be held by the same person. There was however initial discord over who would hold the latter position. After much debate over the fate of the Airedalian Monarchy, and Airedalian proposals to declare King Charles IV of Airedale the figurehead monarch of the united nation, followed by Santobrillo's proposal to have a ceremonial President elected by the Senate, and with the success of the negotiations at stake, it was mutually declared that no human could hold the title of King or President of Airedalandia. The search for a non-human head of state was eventually settled by declaring Aguilar's dog, and Airedale Terrier named Brew, the King of Airedalandia. In explaining his proposal to the conference, Blanchard asserted an Airedale Terrier was an ideal figurehead monarch, being "symbolic, easily adored and gentle, yet possessing immense strength should he need it- all qualities of a great nation." Also notable was the fact the Santobrillan leader adored his dog which whose namesake and origin was Airedale. After the proposal was approved by the delegates of the conference on July 19th, 1770, King Charles IV of Airedale signed a proclamation of his abdication pending the signing of the Treaty of Union. The final major hurdle was deciding on who was to be Airedalandia's first head of government. Given infrastructure for running a national election was inadequate in the nascent nation, an interim leader had to be chosen. An Airedalian highly regarded in Santobrillo, Shadow Foreign Minister of Airedale and member of the anti-war Andrew Clark was ultimately selected. Clark was a longtime advocate against slavery, and he helped pen legislation in the Airedalian House of Commons that was passed in 1752 outlawing the practice. Clark was also a devout Reformed Sasmin, yet staunch critic of the BSP and their guerilla actions in Northern Gatewood. He initially applauded the creation of the buffer state as a method of preserving peace, yet later, in an address to the Lago Gómez Conference on December 12th, 1769, that approach to peace to be flawed in his view, and declare his support for the union of Airedale and Santobrillo. The move bolstered support for the union on the Airedalian left, and with the King's support coming soon after, there was Airedalian support across the political spectrum. Just over a year later, on March 12th, 1771, the Treaty of Union was signed between the Kingdom of Airedale and Republic of Santobrillo, coming into effect the following day, March 13th, now commemorated as Union Day in Airedalandia. It was signed atop Greenpine Ridge, the sight of Aguilar's and Blanchard's first meeting in 1769, and the site is also greatly revered, today an National Monument. Growth of the Empire In the years immediately following the union, the young Airedalandia enjoyed immense geopolitical power. Imperial Ebeline, which through the early to mid 18th century was the dominant power in Centralius and poised to also become master of colonization by 1800, became second-rate in the face of Airedalandia's new found strength. This was due to a winning combination of Airedale's navy, and legendary wealth from Santobrillo's colonies, plus the sizeable commercial enterprises of both nations feeding into a single and rapidly growing economy. This economy gained a massive competitive advantage as Airedalandia became the world's first industrialized nation. Starting in earnest in the first decade of union, steam engines, mechanized textile production and improved efficiency in using water power fuelled a new export-based manufacturing economy. As a consequence of the shift in the concentration of wealth, the concentration of political power followed suit and shifted as well. Longtime dominant political parties became increasingly irrelevant in the face of powerful industrialists and entrepreneurs fuelling candidates of their choosing to prominence. The Monarchist and Drumbovian parties,often referred to as the Pre-Union Legacy Parties,had dominated Airedalian politics in a century-long bipolar political scene from the late 1600s until the union, when they began losing their importance first to the Unionist Party, but then to the Conservative and Trade Union parties that emerged in the 1820s and 1840s, respectively. Santobrillo,which as an independent nation forbade political parties, initially was at a political disadvantage, lacking a strong parliamentary voice. This changed when Hernán Aguilar ran in the 1784 election under the newly-created Condor Party which pressed for increased power for the state governments, and further colonial expansion. The opportunity for further colonization came in 1791, when explorer Francisco Castillo discovered Liberinsula. On the seldom-populated island the Airedalandians initially established a naval base at what is now Castillo Point to assert their dominance in the newly-discovered region, along with penal colonies. In 1803, after a series of earlier more minor incidents, a popular uprising began in Liberinsula. Beginning with loggers who protested hefty license fees to engage in the lucrative business to supply timber to the Royal Airedalandian Navy, and then prison labourers, the rebellion quickly grew in strength and came to include sailors who mutinied, and on July 28th of 1803, the first meeting of the self-proclaimed Liberinsulan Congress took place. There they declared their independence, and proclaimed John Smithson their hero. Though quickly suppressed after the arrival of more colonial troops, the Liberinuslan revolt, and apparent slowness in the Airedalandian response to counter it, had widespread consequences in Airedalandian politics. The Airedalandian Republic, Second Empire and Civil War (1804-09) Seeds of the coup The main critics of the response to the rebellion were a group of hawkish military officers, which after initial infighting became headed by Captain Maurice Turndrum. Turndrum, a sociable young officer who then made allies outside the military, most notably the Speaker Of The House Of Commons Harold Williamson (who he bribed) and magnate Fredrick Colbert, owner of the Oogleberry Times Newspaper, manoeuvred politically to stage a coup. After influencing and by some accounts coercing Colbert to instil anger against the government in the readers of the Ooglberry Times, Turndrum ran a successfully in a by-election in a now-disbanded Oogleberry riding opened by the sudden (and suspicious) death of its representative. Then, as an independent member of parliament, Turndrum brought a vote of non-confidence to the floor, which despite staunch opposition went to vote. Williamson in his capacity as speaker was able to distort the results, and the vote was passed. From the election which took place the following month, under conditions of heavy intimidation of voters and extensive tampering with the results emerged a hung parliament. Following sporadic calls for recounts in various ridings, Turndrum and the original conspiring military officers stormed Aguilar Palace, took Prime Minister Jorge Ramos captive, and proclaimed themselves to be a legitimate provisional government. Queen Diana II was notably absent at the time of the storming, and while being walked backed to the palace, was quickly moved away from the ensuing chaos. Soon after, an emergency session of Parliament was called, which most legitimately elected members boycotted. This boycott ironically greatly harmed the cause of democracy in Airedalandia, as the boycotting members could not vote. During the session, an act to abolish parliament was brought forth, which passed both houses with relative ease in the absence of the boycotting members' votes. Upon noticing Williamson was tampering with the vote tally, Member Of Parliament Guy Troyson yelled out "He's rigging it!" and in response Williamson called upon the guards to remove him. Troyson in response grabbed his cane, and before being apprehended killed a guard with his cane on the floor of Parliament, and soon a full fledged riot broke out between the parliamentarians loyal to Ramos and the opposing members and the guards. In response, Turndrum's newly empowered Council Of National Order decreed all rioting members of parliament to be traitors, blocked the Sentate vote, claiming the House Of Commons riot meant all of parliament couldn't be trusted, and abolished the monarchy. Turndrum, now titled President of Airedalandia, consolidated power for a few more months then launched an invasion of Gatewood. After Ebeline became involved in the war, Turndrum faced a greatly worsened military situation and with increasing desperation he tried to maximize his economic strength through territorial status changes and reinstating slavery. The Civil War In 1806, after the failure of his first attempt to take Ebeline city, Turndrum declared Santobrillo to be a territory of Airedale, versus a state of Airedalandia. This miscalculated move caused unprecedented anger in Santobrillo, and soon armed opposition from the Ejército de Restauración (Restoration Army) began. By 1807 an outright civil war was underway, and after successive defeats against both the Ebelinians and Santobrillans, Turndrum retreated to Oogleberry by March of 1808. After negotiating a temporary truce with the Ebelinians, and with the addition of the added strength of the Airedalian Monarchist Army, the Ejército de Restauración laid siege to Oogleberry starting in May. At first snowfall in late November, the storming of the city was ordered. The garrison of Oogleberry was ill equipped after seven months of constant fighting with virtually no resupply, and after two days fighting, the city's inner walls were breached on November 17th. The 11th Dragoons of the Ejército de Restauración (Los Libertadores) were then ordered to take Aguilar Palace, and symbolically Queen Diana (who'd been sheltered in the Welver Isles until then) accompanied them in their charge on the Palace, though she was fatally shot by a marksman and died on the palace steps. At her state funeral, General Nicolás Aguilar, commander of the Ejército de Restauración and son of Hernán Aguilar formally declared the restoration of the monarchy, and erected the Queen Diana II Memorial on the west side of Aguilar Palace. The death of Queen Diana II lead to Prince Brew succeeding her. In a lavish ceremony held on January 1st, 1809, a date chosen to mark the beginning of a new era, King Christopher I was crowned after a brief regency by Diana's second-eldest pup, John. Third Empire From 1809 to roughly 1850, Airedalandia endured much reduced economic growth due to the war's immediate and more lasting effects, i.e. internal displacement. Airedalandia's previous edge over the other Centralian powers disappeared, and in the Airdo-Merkrunese War of 1842 Airedalandia suffered a humiliating defeat that cost them control of Bloodcoast. In 1844, with the fiasco against the Merkrunese still in mind, a new government was elected. Under Prime Minister Thomas Raymond's Liberal Party, Airedalandia began to regain lost strength, and by 1850 Airedalandia had reasserted its dominance in naval tonnage. Economically Airedalandia was transformed through pro-free market reforms and further industrialization. For increased economic activity, faster communication in peace and wartime, Raymond in 1853 committed to the construction of a nation-wide railroad & telegraph system within the next decade. The passage of the Railroad Construction & Standards Act in 1853, which outlined the elaborate project, also defined a common gauge of railroad track, 4 feet and 8 1/2 inches, which is used by roughly 60% percent of railroads in the world, and is commonly referred to as "Airedalandian Standard." The national railway was nearly completed when a combined Gyren-Vaatnian force attacked in 1861 in an attempt to pre-empt Airedalandia's coming power. After being bogged down by a large guerilla force, the Gyrens and Vaatniens suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Gatewood after sending the majority of their troops to take one city, then being met by thousands of additional troops promptly sent to reinforce Gatewood's embattled garrison thanks to a completed section of the railroad. After securing a favourable peace a the Vertigo Point conference of 1864 which finally put an end to the Bloodcoast Wars through declaring the Gyren Sea canal officially neutral, Airedalandia had emerged as the world's foremost world power while the empires of Gyre and Vaatnia withered. Through 1864 until the start of the Great Colonial War of 1911, Airedalandia did not fight a single major war while enjoying unparalleled dominance. Great Colonial War (1902-1908) and aftermath At the turn of the 20th century, Airedalandia began to once more have strong rivals, in the form of Ebeline, Girania and Valhunnia. These newly emboldened and industrialized powers all sought to further their own colonial interests, which inevitably meant conflict with the Airedalandians. Under an elaborate treaty system which developed during the later 19th century, two blocs of near equal strength emerged in Centralius. Airedalandia had joined forces with Gyre, Ellisland, Sabaronnia and Wennland and Yeltove. When an arms shipment from the Giranian government bound to rebels in Conquisterra was intercepted by an Airedalandian cruiser, armies across Centralius were put on high alert, and when pre-emptive Airedalandian action seemed imminent, pre-war Giranian contingency plans were set into action, and a thrust to take Oogleberry was launched. Soon Girania's alliance joined the fighting, and so began the greatest conflict known to man so far. After initial progress, Giranian troops were became bogged down roughly 100 miles north of Oogleberry, and the plan which was supposed to take one month lasted four, until Airedalandian forces decided to pursue Giranian troops after yet another failed attempt to break Airedalandian lines on April 18th, 1902. The Airedalandians then retook all occupied territory and liberated Ellisburg, which had been occupied for two months by the Giranians. As Girania itself became endangered, a large defensive line was constructed just inside the boarder, and through northern Ellisland. Following three years of a virtual stalemate after both sides dug in, Valhunnia entered the war on Airedalandia's side after the sinkings of four Valhunnian-flagged merchant ships in Valhunnian waters near Pantherville (The Pantherville Torpedo Incident). With the added might of Valhunnia, the Giranian alliance was quickly doomed, and after a last ditch offensive in late 1906, a revolution took hold in Vaatnia because of dissatisfaction with war, creating Gentelibre, and Girania was forced to sue for peace in 1908. In the aftermath of the Great Colonial War, Airedalandia was ceded over half of Girania and Merkrun's combined empires. Emerging from the war Airedalandia was modestly indebted, but within 15 years wartime loans of over $60 Billion from Valhunnia were repaid. Girania, devastated by the war and pressed by the victors (especially Gyre) to pay hefty war reparations totalling $58 billion (equivalent to nearly $500 billion today) saw successive waves of unrest and in 1920 a successful coup. Leader of the uprising, Karl Zimmer declared himself President and from 1920-21 held control, until Airedalandia, Gentelibre, Gyre and Merkrun intervened militarily and created the Allied Control Council for Girania, which in turn held control from 1921 to 1929, when self-governance was granted. After winning power in the ill-fated Second Giranian Republic, Elmo Kohl soon seized total control and far exceeded arms control limits on the Giranian military. After subsequently signing the Fist Pact with Hapshire, Merkrun and Wennland, the stage was set for the Great War. Great War to present day On April 6th, 1942, after the expiration of a 5 day joint ultimatum to withdraw from West Ebeline, Airedalandia and Sabaronnia declared war on Girania. A day later Girania's allies under the Fist Pact declared war on Airedalandia and Sabaronnia. Girania had misjudged Airedalandia's response, suspecting Airedalandia would appease their expansionist neighbour as they had when Girania annexed Ellisland four years earlier in 1938. With most their army deployed north to take West Ebeline, and beyond that being prepared for only a limited naval war with the relatively distant Merkrunese, Girania was initially vulnerable. Whilst Hapshire was still slowly mobilizing, an Airedalandian offensive was launched into Ellisland and southern Girania, which forced the Giranians to divert sizeable forces from the Ebelinian front for defence. After making modest gains in ground that couldn't be exploited fully due to poor coordination between armour, artillery, infantry and aerial units. Category:IC Category:Airedalandia